Van den Bos continues career with Boels-Dolmans

22 November 2018

Boels-Dolmans Cycling Team is proud to announce that Jip van den Bos will continue her career with the number one team in the world. The 22-year-old re-signed with the team after a turbulent year, which saw her break her pelvis in a crash at the OVO Energy Women’s Tour in June.

"It was immediately clear that this meant the end of my season," said Van den Bos. "Together with the doctors and Danny, I decided not to start pushing myself as quickly as possible, but to really take time to let everything heal. The focus was on the 2019 season straightaway."

"I spent six weeks laying down on the couch and moving around in a wheelchair," explained Van den Bos. "After that, I could start rebuilding step by step. Via our team doctor, I was referred to a pelvic specialist at the Academic Medical Centre in Amsterdam and they helped me greatly. "

The early termination of her season was difficult for the enthusiastic Van den Bos, who therefore deliberately took a step back from the cycling world and avoided social media for a while.

"I distanced myself from cycling a bit and didn’t follow everything strictly, although I always checked the results," she said. "I visited a lot of my sister's roller skating competitions and because of the summer vacation many friends came to visit me, or took me to go somewhere. It kept me distracted from what I missed in the cycling world. "

Looking back on 2018, Van den Bos does see some highlights. She finished second in the 7-Dorpenomloop Aalburg, a UCI1.2-race, and she played a decisive role in the formation of the lead group in the Volta Limburg Classic, in which she also sprinted to second place.

"I finished second twice and that in itself is not something that makes me happy, but it does give me confidence that I am good enough to win too."

At the end of the season, Van den Bos pinned on her numbers one more time before going into the winter. In November, she travelled to Japan for the Tour de Okinawa, a criterium-style one-day race. Always one for committing 100%, she proved she had worked really hard to get back in race form and sprinted to podium.

“The Tour de Okinawa gave me a goal to train towards, it was really motivating,” she said. “And I also noticed that I came back more motivated than before. I’m much more looking forward to the winter now and of course to start a proper season again next year.”

Van den Bos will be donning the Boels-Dolmans Cycling Team colours for the third year in 2019.

“I really enjoy being part of the team and I feel good with the riders and the staff,” said Van den Bos. “After two years, I feel truly at home in this team. I’ve received great support when I was injured and I feel that the team has trust in me. My ambition is to play a bigger role in the finals, so I can support my teammates to the end – but also to play the game until the finish line.”